


Batgirls

by AshWinterGray



Series: Earth 132 [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Birds of Prey (Comic)
Genre: Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Cameras, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl, Cassandra Cain is Orphan, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27550279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: Most people don't remember the times the Universe reset, but there are some who do. Some of those people become heroes. Nell Little would love nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of her idol, but she knows the world isn't that kind.
Series: Earth 132 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956985
Kudos: 16





	Batgirls

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! A new part!

Technically, the fact that the Timeline had restarted was supposed to be a secret kept from everyday civilians. There were, of course, the odd few that remembered the change, but remembering this usually meant that one was either thrown into an insane asylum, or they kept their mouths shut. It was kind of like living on the streets of Gotham. You either minded your own business, or you wound up dead.

Nell Little knew these rules well. She wasn’t a natural born Crime Alley kid, but she had quickly adapted to the silent rules after her mother was killed and she was sent to the juvenile detention center. They told her the orphanage was full. She knew that was a blatant lie and quickly made her getaway.

It wasn’t unusual for kids to run away either, and the Commissioner had his hands full with trying to handle Batman and the Rogues to care about missing kids from the orphanage or juvenile detention center.

Being homeless did not stop Nell from her hobby, however. Which was why Nell currently found herself in this predicament.

“You Bats and Birds are quite the nuisance,” came the voice of Black Mask. “Can’t a guy do his job in peace.”

“If your job is to drug a bunch of children, then definitely not,” Spoiler spat.

The three women; Batgirl, Spoiler, and Orphan; were glaring at Black Mask and his friends, all eager to fight. Nell, however, could easily see why they weren’t attacking just yet. It was common knowledge that Red Hood had made a deal with Black Mask after the Falcone and Maroni families vanished, but it was also common knowledge that he had teamed up with the Birds of Prey. It put the Red Hood in a spot that provided a disadvantage.

Because _everyone_ knew Red Hood would kill anyone who hurt kids.

Now, back to Nell Little, this girl had a rather odd hobby. And if she knew of Tim Drake’s alter ego, the girl would honestly get along with him. Nell Little loved to follow the Batgirls on their cases. Batgirl watching. Now, this was important because Nell did mean Batgirls. Plural. Nell was one of few civilians to remember the other timelines. Such as both Spoiler and Orphan being Batgirl at one point.

Nell knew that Bluebird and Batwoman were on standby, but she was also aware that Red Hood’s agreement with Black Mask had the Birds in a place that compromised any information the Bats gathered. Nell knew this because she had listened to the conversation Red Hood and Batgirl had discussed.

They didn’t have time to kick Hood out of the Birds of Prey. Black Mask was acting now.

So Nell decided it was time to be brave. Brave like the Batgirls. The Birds of Prey couldn’t stop it, but Nell wasn’t a bird. She wasn’t even a hero. That didn’t mean she couldn’t help. The tape recorder had been hard to come by, but Nell had dug long and hard enough to find one. She’d probably starve for the next week with the money she spent, but it was worth it. Besides, she had gone longer without food.

“Not that you can do anything about,” Black Mask stated.

_Come on. I need a confession._

“That little agreement to stay on sides with Red Hood has worked wonders,” Black Mask stated, boasting as the three Batgirls calculated what to do. “And the best part is, once I send out this drug, I won’t be the one who went into his territory. People will simply come to me for the drug.”

That was…wait…Nell wracked her brain for the conversation she had overheard. Trying to remember what the terms of the agreement were. It almost sounded like a breach of contract. But Nell couldn’t be sure.

“If you take this information to Batman, I’ll consider it a breach of contract,” Black Mask taunted. “And if you take this information to the Police, it will definitely be a breach of contract.”

_Come on. I need a confession .Get cocky you jerk._

“And what exactly does this drug do?” Batgirl demanded.

“This, my dear, Batgirl, is an addictive pain reliever. It will force the heart to pump, and the mind will clear, so to speak. It will provide a permanent high. The longer the drug is taken, the more mindless a person become.”

_Bingo._

“And the best part is, you can’t do anything about this information, or I get to make a move on Red Hood’s territory. What secrets do you hide, I wonder?”

Nell had gotten what she needed and slowly began to descend from her hiding space. Black Mask couldn’t call this a breach of contract if Nell personally delivered the information.

The Batgirls were leaving, Nell could see, and she carefully hid herself so that the Batgirls couldn’t associate her with this moment. She _couldn’t_ be associated with this moment, or linked to the Birds of Prey, or she would fail.

She couldn’t afford to fail.

\---------------------------

So of course something had to go wrong. Like, absolutely terribly wrong. Nell backed away from the men who had cornered her in the alley. She wasn’t sure if they were Black Mask’s men or just guys looking to get lucky, but things had gotten bad in less than five seconds.

“Come on, sweetheart,” one of them attempted to coo. “Come here, darling. Let me get a good look at you.”

The thing about following Batgirl was that there were…little souvenirs that Nell had a habit of picking up. So when she grabbed the little orbs she had retrieved, she had no bad feelings as the men were gassed by whatever chemical was leftover in the little smoke pellets. Then she was vaulting herself over a trash can and jumping over the men’s heads.

They gave chase, of course, but Nell knew Crime Alley well. Not as well as a pure-breed Crime Alley kid, but well enough to get away from these men. She just…hadn’t been expecting to barrel into Batwoman.

The men skidded into the alley way, pausing at the sight of Batwoman.

“This isn’t your territory, Bat,” one of the men spat. “So you skid along while we have our fun.”

Ah. So it had been men working for Black Mask who wanted to get lucky. _Fantastic._

“Actually, boys, as of that little trash can right there, you’ve entered Red Hood’s territory.”

Nell had to let out a breath of relief. She had been aiming for Red Hood’s territory in her escape, but she wasn’t sure of where the line was drawn.

“And you’ve broken your boss’s agreement.”

The fight was quick, and not one of them got away. Batwoman took great pleasure plucking one of the men’s phones and making a short little call to the masked man himself.

_“Reagan, what is it? This had better be important.”_

“Well, Roman, I don’t think I’ve ever been called Reagan before, but I’d ask you not to do it again.”

_“Batwoman. How lovely. Care to tell me what you’re doing interfering in my territory?”_

“You might want to check your trackers, again, Roman,” Batwoman snickered. “I’m not _in_ your territory. And neither are your men.”

There was a pause. A long pause, and suddenly a sharp intake of breath.

_“No.”_

“Oh, yes,” Batwoman chuckled. “The Red Hood sends his regards.”

Nell watched in awe as several police cars skidded to a stop in front of the alley. Detective Harvey Bullock quickly excited with Detective Renee Montoya. Bullock was always considered a good cop, even though he had twisted morals and he hated the Bats. The man actually took his job seriously. As for Montoya, once an officer, the woman had slowly climbed the ladder of the station from Rookie to Detective. Probably Gotham’s most trusted Detective aside from the Commissioner.

Nell didn’t recognize the other officers, but she wasn’t too worried about it. She marched right up to Bullock and Montoya, and handed them her tape recorder.

“Black Mask is going to hurt a lot of people,” she told them at their odd looks. “I recorded his conversation with Batgirl.”

And in the chaos of arresting the men and getting Batwoman’s statement, Nell vanished into the shadows of Crime Alley. Just like Batgirl. Nell was proud of herself.

\-------------------------------

The problem with good cops was that they were usually trying to do what they thought was right by people. Nell happened to overhear a conversation on the radio about the police searching for the “Brave Little Girl” who had stopped Black Mask.

They had basically painted a target on her back.

Thankfully, neither Bullock nor Montoya had gotten a good look at her, and Batwoman certainly hadn’t given a description, so she was only known as the “Brave Little Girl”. It wasn’t great, but it was better than having her name and profile out for any old creep to see and take advantage of.

So Nell kept her head down.

At least, until she found Spoiler on top of a trash can. Well, actually, Nell had been going to the dumpster to find something to eat, and Spoiler had been sitting on top of it. Nell had noticed a bit too late.

“Hey, don’t be shy,” Spoiler waved gently. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Nell watched for a second before slowly creeping out from the shadows. It was best not to let the Bats think you were a suspicious person, so Nell let herself be seen. Spoiler patted the dumpster beside her like she was offering up a free seat at some concert. Nell slowly walked over.

Inside, Nell was fangirling. Hard.

“Hungry?” Spoiler lifted up a bag of fast food. “I got some chicken and waffles. Well, I ate the waffles, but the chicken is still fresh and warm.”

Nell’s mouth watered as she instantly took in the smell of the chicken. _Fresh_ chicken that was _still_ warm and _not_ from a dumpster. That was better than Nell had eaten since her mother died. It was always scraps and whatever she could afford with a dollar. Which wasn’t much, really.

Nell bit into the chicken strip and gave up trying to fight back a groan of delight.

“Good, right!” Spoiler beamed. “You’re technically supposed to eat the chicken and waffles together, but I really _love_ waffles.”

Nell listened as Spoiler went on and on about waffles. She didn’t really mind. Not really. This was one of her idols. One of the great Batgirls, even if Spoiler didn’t remember her time as Batgirl, she was still amazing. Witty. Smart. Pretty. She, like the other Batgirls, was what Nell could only ever dream to be.

Kids didn’t last long on the streets of Crime Alley. Especially those who weren’t born and bred in her grasp. Nell knew her chance of living were slim, even if she was determined to survive. Luck ran out eventually.

“Oops,” Spoiler jumped to a stand as her hood beeped. “Duty calls. Have a good night, kid!”

Nell waved back in awe. Later, Nell would regret eating the chicken as it had been sometime since she had a proper meal. The processed meat and grease were not a good mix with an empty stomach. Nell didn’t really mind, though. She had gotten to meet her idol.

\------------------------

Nell was ready to die. Just as she suspected, it wasn’t long before some jerk got his hands on her. And just as she feared, it was Black Mask. Not that Black Mask knew she was the girl that had basically shut down his entire operation, but the hit with his men going into Red Hood’s territory had made the guy desperate. So he was selling kids.

Nell did not want to be sold, and neither did many of the kids she was caged with. So, with her expert hands, Nell had swiped a pocket knife from one of the thugs. Raising it to her neck, she prepared for her end.

“No.”

Nell’s eyes flew open as her hand was cradled between two slightly larger, yet dainty hands. Nell could feel the calloused through the gloves, and she couldn’t stop the tears as she recognized the familiar yellow pattern. Orphan.

“No die,” the woman stated. “Not yet. Keep fighting.”

Carefully taking the pocket knife from Nell’s grasp, Orphan crept forward. The guards were taken care of quickly and silently. Before Nell knew it, she was free and being led out with the other children.

As the police looked over the children, Nell tried to slink away. Only to be caught by Orphan.

“Please let me go,” Nell whispered.

Orphan crouched down in front of her and brushed hair from her face. Kind. Gentle. In a way Nell hadn’t felt since her mother passed away.

“Live.”

And then Orphan was gone, leaving Nell her opening to slip away.

\-----------------------------

When Nell finally met Batgirl, it was only three days after Orphan saved her life. The vigilante Nell admired most was sitting with Spoiler on the dumpster. Orphan was on the nearby fire escape, and Batwoman was leaning against a wall.

“Hey there,” Spoiler greeted. “So, I’ve heard most of us have met you before.”

Nell wasn’t sure what to say.

Batgirl jumped down from the dumpster and moved to crouch in front of Nell. Nell would deny the fact that her breath hitched in the effort to prevent a squeal, but that wasn’t anyone’s concern but hers.

“Nell Little, right?” Batgirl asked. “I heard you’ve been helping us out.”

Nell nodded. “I’m you’re biggest fan.”

_Stupid. Stupid._

Nell mentally berated herself as her hands flew to her mouth. She was supposed to be cool, not some weird stalker kid who followed Batgirl. That was a terrible first impression. Batgirl, however, giggled.

“It’s lovely to meet my biggest fan, then,” Batgirl’s smile was kind, bright. “Now, about your little endeavors. Perhaps we could help each other.”

\-------------------------

Bruce eyed his cousin carefully. “I wasn’t aware you were looking to adopt.”

“It wasn’t planned at first,” Kate shrugged back, grinning that mischievous smile that meant he’d have to find answers himself. “She’s a sweetheart, though, don’t you think?”

Steph and Cass were playing tag with Nell Little, Kate’s newly adopted daughter. The girl was bright and sunny. A chipper young girl with her own mischievous side. Renee Montoya, Kate’s fiancée, was taking pictures, clearly just as happy about the adoption as Kate.

“Is there a problem?” Kate eyed her cousin.

“No, I just…you always struck me as the no children type,” Bruce shrugged. “I’m more surprised than anything.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be a Bat if I didn’t have a few surprises.”

Nell was a promising, resourceful little girl. Gotham needed a Batgirl, and Nell had proven that she had what it took to take the mantle. In a few years, of course.

**Author's Note:**

> Right, so writers block is gone (for now) and this chapter is kind of a filler chapter, but it also doubles as a path to future events in this story. 
> 
> So: the next two (maybe three) stories will be slightly longer, and they will be a two part series. Meaning that they will connect to each other. And I am currently planning out the first lenghty-multi-chapter story in this series. It will have several parts. Tie up several lose ends. And the ending will be killer. 
> 
> But for now, I thank you for you patience as I plan, write, and edit each book.


End file.
